This invention relates to a pin field on a backplane of an electronic system and, more particularly, to a tool for extracting a selected pin from the pin field.
Modern electronic systems equipment, such as for telecommunications purposes, is often constructed as modular circuit packs inserted into guide slots of mechanical card cages, or shelf units, for engagement with a backplane mounted to the shelf unit at the inward ends of the guide slots. Such a backplane typically includes a pin field with delicate pins press fit into openings in the backplane for the interconnection of the circuit packs. These pins are sometimes damaged and can be difficult to repair or replace due to the tight packing of the pin field.
Tools are currently available for extracting a pin from such a pin field. However, such commercially available tools all suffer from a number of disadvantages. The tools typically include a trigger-like operating mechanism in a bulky housing which blocks the visibility of the pin to be removed. Also, since the housing is relatively bulky, it is difficult to maneuver the tool close to the side of the card cage. Further, it may be necessary to remove adjacent circuit packs to have access to a damaged pin, which disrupts the operation of the system. Still further, all such tools are relatively expensive.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a pin extraction tool which is economical and does not suffer from the aforedescribed disadvantages.